Disaster Relief

Economic Development

SB 9 (Lowenthal-D) Trade corridor improvement
Establishes a process by which the California Transportation Commission selects and funds projects using the $2 billion of Proposition 1B transportation bonds earmarked for projects that reduce congestion and air pollution along trade corridors in California.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 262 (Runner-R) Transportation: trade corridors improvement
Requires the California Transportation Commission to consider the potential of infrastructure projects at inland ports to relieve congestion at or near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.(Died in Senate Transportation and Housing Committee)

SB 302 (Ducheny-D) California Workforce Investment Act
Provides additional guidance to the California Workforce Investment Board, and to the local boards that deliver workforce training and related services, regarding the development of a strategic workforce plan.Chapter 376, Statutes of 2008

SB 359* (Runner-R) Sales and use taxes: income and corporation taxes
Exempts, from 1/1/08 until 12/31/17, from those state taxes gross receipts in excess of 1.66 per gallon derived from the sale in this state of, and the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of, fuel and petroleum products sold to or purchased by an air common carrier on a domestic flight, as specified. Allows for taxable years beginning on or after 1/1/07, a taxpayer that is a member of the apportioning trade or business to elect, by contracting with the Franchise Tax Board, as provided, to apportion its business income to this state by utilizing one of the revised apportionment formulas, as specified.(Died in Senate and Revenue and Taxation Committee)

SB 677 (Ridley-Thomas-D) Economic development: California Film Commission
Renames the California Film Commission the California Film and Entertainment Commission.(Died at Assembly Desk)

SB 740* (Calderon-D) Motion picture production: tax credit
Allows a qualified taxpayer a tax credit for qualified motion picture production equal to 100% of the direct tax revenues attributable to the production, or 125% of the revenues if the motion picture is a television series that relocated to California, or an independent film, as defined.(Died in Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

SB 763 (Ridley-Thomas-D) Business, Transportation and Housing Agency
Defines various terms for purposes of various types of economic development programs implemented by the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. Declares the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation providing that all economic development programs implemented by the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency should, at the discretion of the Secretary, adopt specified objectives.(Died in Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee)

SB 928* (Harman-R) Research and development: tax credit
Increases the amount of California's research expense credit from 15% to 20% and increases the amount of California's alternative incremental credit from current state rates (2.65%, 3.2%, and 3.75%) to the recently increased federal rates (3%, 4%, and 5%). Enacts a new credit for personal income and corporate taxpayers equal to 25% of the aggregate amount up to $500,000 of qualified donations to a qualified cancer research institution, which is defined to be any center, company, foundation, organization, program, or university located in this state that allocates at least 20% of its resources to cancer research.(Died in Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

SB 1200 (Ducheny-D) Indian tribes: economic development
Creates the Native American Business Revolving and Guarantee Loan Program for the purpose of promoting the long-term economic viability of tribal communities by providing capital to create or retain jobs, offer business development and employment training, and provide general education to tribal members.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 1484* (Alquist-D) Income and corporation taxes: oil producers
Repeals the deductions and credits allowed to oil producers and creates a new credit for clean energy technology.(Died in Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 121* (Maze-R) Enterprise zones: tax credit: foster youth hiring
Expands the definition of "qualified employee" to include qualified former foster care recipients for purposes of the hiring credit available to employers located in an enterprise zone. Defines a "qualified former foster care recipient" as an individual certified by the local designated agency as having attained 17 years of age but not 25 years of age on the hiring date and having, before attaining 18 years of age, been either a recipient of foster care maintenance payments under a state plan approved under 42 United States Code Section 301, or in foster care under the responsibility of a state.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 133 (Garcia-R) Economic development capital investment incentive programs
Includes within the types of businesses that operate a qualified manufacturing facility a business engaged in the operation of a powerplant used for the production of electricity from one or more specified energy sources in the capital investment incentive program.(Died in Assembly Local Government Committee)

AB 135* (Houston-R) Income and corporation taxes: net operating losses
Extends the carryover period for all net operating losses to each of the 20 taxable years following the taxable year of loss.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 232 (Price-D) Economic Opportunity Initiative Program
Enacts, until 1/1/13, the Economic Opportunity Initiative Act of 2007 to require the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to establish a pilot project to be known as the Economic Opportunity Initiative Program. Requires the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to enter into technical and partnership assistance agreements with economic development corporations meeting specified criteria, and requires the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to conduct a study on the impact of the program and report the results of the study to the Governor and the Legislature on or before 12/31/12.(Died in Assembly Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy Committee)

AB 579 (Swanson-D) Military base recovery areas
Makes changes to the operation of the Local Agency Military Base Recovery Area (LAMBRA) program. Removes the condition that a business located in a LAMBRA must provide a net increase in jobs within the LAMBRA within the first two years of the business' operation in order to claim the sales and use tax credits, requires the governing body of each LAMBRA to update its economic development plan on or before 1/1/10, and outlines specific minimal requirements that must be included in each economic development plan.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 751* (Lieu-D) Income/corporation tax credit: research and development
Increases the existing tax credit for increasing research expenses to 20%. Conforms to federal rules for calculation of the alternative incremental credit. Applies to taxable years beginning 1/1/07.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1116 (Nava-D) Labor market needs: career technical education
Requires the Department of Education to work with the Employment Development Department to provide school districts and local agencies with job forecasting information from the Labor Market Information Division of the Employment Development Department to enable development of career technical education.(Died in Assembly Education Committee)

AB 1152* (Niello-R) Sales and use tax: manufacturing equipment
Provides a state sales and use tax exemption for purchases of qualifying tangible personal property by qualified persons engaged in manufacturing, as specified.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1206* (Smyth-R) Research and development: sales tax
Exempts from state sales and use taxes the sale or use of machinery, equipment, and replacement parts used directly in research and development relating to inventions, products, or technologies.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1272 (Arambula-D) General obligation bonds: administration and oversight
Requires the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank to create a local assistance program to provide technical assistance to small urban and rural communities in the state in obtaining financing for local infrastructure projects from general obligation bond funding. Requires the Bureau of State Audits to conduct periodic audits to ensure that the proceeds from the bonds are being used in accordance with the Bond Act.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1285* (Parra-D) Research and development: tax deduction
Provides complete conformity to the research credit and the alternative incremental credit allowed by federal income tax laws, but only for the amount paid or incurred by a taxpayer in connection with the qualified research, as specified, to develop technologies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as defined.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1370* (Lieber-D) Net operating losses: tax deductions
Allows certain personal income taxpayers and corporate taxpayers to have a longer period to deduct net operating losses incurred from certain biopharmaceutical and other biotechnology (bioscience) business activities.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 1389* (Assembly Budget Committee) 2008 General Gov't Budget Trailer Bill: econ. development
Enacts the 2008 General Government Budget Trailer Bill which, among other provisions, makes the necessary statutory changes relating to economic development, as follows: (1) Deletes provisions in statute that establish the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency as the lead agency for statewide economic development programs, and (2) institutes new reporting requirements on the Economic Development Bank at the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency on their annual activities.Chapter 751, Statutes of 2008

AB 1398* (Arambula-D) Targeted economic development areas: tax credits
Beginning 1/1/08, authorizes one hiring credit under the respective laws for qualified taxpayers who hire qualified employees, as defined, within a geographically targeted economic development area, as defined.(Died in Assembly Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy Committee)

AB 1527* (Arambula-D) California Cleantech Advantage Act of 2008
Creates a credit for certain expenses related to cleantech research and a structure for the subsequent sale of such credits by a qualified taxpayer.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1566 (Niello-R) Economic development: rest areas
Mandates that highway improvement projects, particularly interchange projects that are near an area identified by the Department of Transportation and the California Transportation Commission as being a priority area for joint economic development of a rest stop, be planned and designed by the Department of Transportation to facilitate rest area development.(Died in Assembly Transportation Committee)

AB 1620 (Arambula-D) California Clean Technology Services Unit
Establishes the California Clean Technology Services Unit within the Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency to promote the development of environmentally-friendly technologies, to help businesses bring clean technology to California, and to work in coordination with other state agencies to maximize the state's efforts to maintain an innovative and entrepreneurial environment that supports the achievement of the state's environmental goals and standards. Sunsets on 1/1/13.(Died in Senate Environmental Quality Committee)

AB 1681* (Houston-R) Manufacturing equipment: sales tax exemption
Provides, for calendar years beginning on or after 1/1/08, a state sales and use tax exemption for purchases of qualifying tangible personal property by qualified persons primarily engaged in manufacturing, telecommunications, and electrical generation activities, as specified.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1696* (Bass-D) California Film Commission: financial assistance
Establishes a financial assistance program, within the California Film Commission, to encourage filming motion pictures and commercials in California, and requires the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to report on the economic impact created by this program to the Legislature by 12/11/11.(Failed passage on Senate Floor)
A similar bill was AB 832 (Bass) which died in Assembly Appropriations Committee

AB 1720 (Assembly Jobs, Economic Development And The Economy Committee) Enterprise zones: reports
Deletes an obsolete reference to an economic development areas annual work plan, makes other technical corrections, and updates the code relating to the Department of Housing and Community Development's report to the Legislature on enterprise zones.Vetoed

AB 1916 (Portantino-D) Economic development
Enacts the California Innovation, Technology and Science Policy Act. Changes the membership of the California Economic Strategy Panel and the requirements of the California Economic Development Strategic Plan to include a global competitiveness focus.Vetoed

AB 1982 (Solorio-D) Employment development: California YouthBuild Program
Updates eligibility provisions relating to the California YouthBuild Program that makes reference to the correct federal agency responsible for its administration.Vetoed

AB 2006 (Hayashi-D) CA Community Colleges Economic & Workforce Development
Establishes a Center of Innovation for Green Technology-to be located at a community college district in the San Francisco Bay region-within the California Community Colleges' Economic and Workforce Development Program.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 2114 (Villines-R) Corporation tax: study
Requires the Department of Finance, the Franchise Tax Board, and the Legislative Analyst's Office to conduct a study to determine the impact of a change in current law, addressing the apportionment of increase in computing the income taxes of trades or businesses that modifies the sales factor in a manner best suited to retaining and attracting businesses to, and existing new jobs, in California.(Died on Senate Inactive File)

AB 2147 (Swanson-D) Worker training programs
Establishes the Green Jobs Corps Act of 2008 to provide financial assistance to energy efficiency and renewable energy worker training targeted at individuals, including at-risk youth and formerly incarcerated individuals, who are seeking employment pathways out of poverty and into economic self-sufficiency. Requires the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to establish the grant program, and report biennially to the Governor and Legislature on the result of the program.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 2178* (Garrick-R) Minimum franchise tax
Reduces the amount of annual minimum franchise tax from $800 to $200.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)
A similar bill was AB 27 (Parra) which died in Assembly Appropriation Committee.

AB 2342 (Parra-D) California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley
Creates, until 1/1/20, the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley. Specifies that the purpose of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley is to coordinate and improve state and federal efforts in conjunction with local efforts to increase the living standards and economic performance of the San Joaquin Valley. Designates the membership of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley board of directors, which consists of up to 44 appointed members, and includes all elected Members of the Legislature and Congress who represent part of the Valley as ex officio nonvoting members. Specifies that the duties of the board of directors include the implementation of the San Joaquin Valley Strategic Action Plan, and requires the board of directors to annually report to the Governor and Legislature on the implementation of that plan.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 2488* (Houston-R) Depreciation tax deduction
Allows a taxpayer to take an alternative depreciation deduction for the costs of acquiring machines and equipment that reduce greenhouse gas emissions or produce, generate, or store renewable energy from specified sources.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 2491* (Gaines-R) Economic development: tax depreciation
Allows a qualified taxpayer, in modified conformity with the federal Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, to claim a depreciation deduction for 50% of the cost of the qualified property and increases the expensing allowance for depreciable business assets to $250,000 and the maximum investment phase-out threshold for such expensing allowance to $800,000.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 2622 (Hayashi-D) Unemployment insurance: Employment Training Panel
Requires the Employment Training Panel, as part of its three-year strategic funding plan, to include the identification of specific industries, with consideration of new and emerging industries such as clean technology.Vetoed

AB 2636 (Arambula-D) Emerging domestic market data consortium
Authorizes the Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency to establish a public/private consortium for the creation and maintenance of a comprehensive database of financial and other related information on emerging domestic markets.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 2711 (Portantino-D) Economic development
Requires the Secretary of Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency to develop a comprehensive state technology and innovation plan.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 3045 (Assembly Jobs, Economic Development And The Economy Committee) Economic development
Adds definitions of "emerging domestic market," "financial intermediary," "community development intermediary," "triple bottom line," "small businesses," "community development," "financial institution capital," and "California Council on Science and Technology" to the statutes relating to the states economic development programsVetoed

ACR 101 (Swanson-D) Safe Jobs for Youth Month
Recognizes May 2008 as Safe Jobs for Youth Month in California in order to raise awareness about issues relating to the health and safety of young people in the workforce.Resolution Chapter 29, Statutes of 2008

AJR 32 (Karnette-D) C-17 Aircraft production
Implores the Congress and the President of the United States to more quickly make available the funding necessary to ensure the continued vitality of the C-17 Globemaster III Transport Jet production program.Resolution Chapter 152, Statutes of 2007

World Trade and Tourism

SB 9 (Lowenthal-D) Trade corridor improvement: transportation project selection
Establishes a process by which the California Transportation Commission selects and funds projects using the $2 billion of Proposition 1B transportation bonds earmarked for projects that reduce congestion and air pollution along trade corridors in California.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SJR 29 (Ackerman-R) U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement
States the California Legislature's recognition of and support for the United States-Columbia Trade Promotion Agreement.(Died in Senate Business and Professions Committee)

AB 1722 (Assembly Jobs, Economic Development And The Economy Committee) California International Trade and Investment Act
Requires the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to provide the Legislature with a copy of the international trade and investment policy it developed pursuant to existing law.Vetoed

AB 2311 (Tran-R) International trade offices
Requires, regardless of existing statutory prohibitions, the Secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to establish international trade and investment offices.(Died in Assembly Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy Committee)

AB 2312 (Tran-R) International trade: economic development
Establishes the position of the State Trade Representative, whose duties include promoting investment and trade between California and the country in which the State Trade Representative is assigned.(Died in Assembly Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy Committee)

AB 3046 (Assembly Jobs, Economic Development And The Economy Committee) California Office of Trade and Investment
Allows the Secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to establish the California Office of Trade and Investment to carry out its duties in supporting foreign trade and investment.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AJR 55 (Villines-R) U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement
Expresses the Legislature's recognition of and support for the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.(Refused adoption in Assembly Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy Committee)

Small Business

SB 159 (Wyland-R) Disabled veteran business enterprises
Expands the definition of small businesses in the California Prompt Payment Act to include disabled veteran business enterprises. Allows disabled veteran business enterprises to be paid the higher level of penalty payment if the state fails to pay them any required payments in a timely manner.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 446 (Yee-D) Employment Training Panel: entrepreneurs and microenterprise
Requires the person assigned to each regional office of the Employment Training Panel to have experience in meeting the needs of microenterprises, as specified, and requires the assistant director, who oversees the employment training services for small businesses, to also ensure that employment training services are available to entrepreneurs, as defined.(Died in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

SB 876 (Calderon-D) Small businesses: heavy-duty vehicles
Requires the Air Resources Board to consider the economic impacts on small business owners of vehicle replacement and retrofit requirements when establishing in-use emission standards and regulations for heavy-duty motor vehicles in private fleets.(Died in Senate Transportation and Housing Committee)

SB 1397 (Negrete McLeod-D) Prison Industry Authority: procurement
Requires the Prison Industry Authority, when procuring raw materials, component parts and goods and services, to comply with certain provisions of law that give preference to small businesses and disabled veteran business enterprises in awarding contracts.(Died in Senate Public Safety Committee)

AB 655 (Swanson-D) Public contracts: infrastructure bonds
Allows small businesses, microbusinesses, and other businesses that subcontract, using small businesses, to receive a 5% preference on their bid for projects funded by the Infrastructure Bond Act of 2006, if they commit to hiring at least 20% of their employee workforce from California residents.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 799 (Smyth-R) Small employers: health care
Provides that requirements imposed on health care service plans and health insurers do not apply to a program of services and incentives offered to a small employer, separate and apart from a contract or policy for health care benefits designed to promote wellness and healthy employees.(Died in Assembly Health Committee)

AB 816 (Carter-D) Microenterprise development
Requires the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to implement a new 36-month program that is administered under a contract with a nonprofit intermediary to provide grants to microenterprise development organizations that fund capacity projects to benefit microenterprise.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 955* (Plescia-R) Small business: tax credit
Creates a tax credit for investing in a qualified small business, as specified.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1418 (Arambula-D) Community development: banks and credit unions
Requires the Commissioner of the Department of Financial institutions to develop a Credit Union Membership Investment Model to identify best practices for credit unions relating to community development, small business and micro enterprise financing and investments of credit union capital.Vetoed

AB 1431 (Arambula-D) California small business financial development corporations
Establishes the Early Stage Investment Guarantee Program, administered by the California Small Business Loan Guarantee Program, to help small businesses attract private investors during the early years of the businesses' growth.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1695* (Bass-D) Small businesses: surety bond guarantees
Requires the Director of the California Small Business Financial Development Corporation (CSBEF) to establish and administer a surety bond guarantee account within the CSBEF to assist small contractors with obtaining the necessary bond and liability guarantees they need to compete for state infrastructure projects. Appropriates $40 million from the State Highway Account for the guarantee account and continuously appropriates the revenues until 2013. Requires the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to return the $40 million plus interest to the State Highway Account by 3/1/13. Requires the Director of the CSBEF to report annually on the number of bond guarantees provided.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1942 (Ruskin-D) Small businesses & disabled veteran business enterprise
Increases and conforms penalties for persons who engage in fraudulent activities relating to the Small Business Procurement and Contract Act, including small businesses, microbusinesses, and disabled veteran-owned business enterprises.Vetoed

AB 2127 (Benoit-R) Small business alternative workweek schedules
Authorizes individual employees, with the approval of their employer, to work up to 10 hours per day within a 40-hour workweek without overtime pay, as specified.(Died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 2206 (Price-D) Economic development: small business development centers
Establishes the Small Business Development Center Program, coordinated through the System Office of the California Community Colleges, for the purpose of providing a variety of services to small businesses.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 2376 (Price-D) Small and Emerging Contractors Technical Assistance Program
Authorizes the establishment, until 1/1/13, of the Small and Emerging Contractors Technical Assistance Program, administered by the Department of Transportation, for the purpose of providing small and emerging contractors with the technical assistance necessary to obtain surety bond guarantees offered by the federal Small Business Administration.Chapter 458, Statutes of 2008

AB 2416 (Fuentes-D) Small Business: financial precedent
Expands the role of the California Small Business Board (CSBB) to require them to examine and advise on new "innovative" financial products. Requires the CSBB to examine such financial products as the aggregation and sale of loan guarantees, requires the CSBB to engage foundations, nonprofits, public policy, finance, and investment communities in the examination of these innovative products, and requires the CSBB to prepare a written report by 10/1/09, and make the report available to the public.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 2773 (Price-D) Small Business Procurement & Contract Act
Increases the maximum amount of a contract for goods, services, or information technology that may be awarded to a certified small business, including a micro business and a disabled veteran business enterprise without complying with specified competitive bidding requirements, from $100,000 to $250,000. Requires the contractor to report the actual percentage of small business or disabled veteran business enterprise participation that was achieved. Increases the minimum threshold for projects covered under the State Contract Act from $100,000 to $250,000.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 2778 (Mendoza-D) Small business and procurement
Modifies the definition of manufacturer under the Small Business Procurement and Contract Act by deleting references to the outdated "Standard Industrial Classification Manual" and replacing them with references to the newly devised "North American Industry Classification System" codes.Chapter 102, Statutes of 2008

AB 2797 (De La Torre-D) State contracting: small business preference
Increases the maximum bid preference provided to state-certified small businesses or non-small businesses that utilize small businesses as subcontractors on state contracts from 5% to 10% of the contract amount when the contract is made on the basis of either one of the following: (1) when the award is made to the lowest responsible bidder who meets all of the specifications, or (2) when the award is made to the highest scored bidder based on specified evaluation factors in addition to price.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 2854 (Mendoza-D) California Small Business Advocate: Internet Web site
Requires, upon available funding, the Office of the Small Business Advocate to create a one-stop web site for small business-related announcements and funding opportunities offered by state agencies.Vetoed

AB 2998 (Carter-D) Microenterprises: economic development
Requires the California Workforce Investment Board to assist the Governor by recommending policies and providing technical assistance on entrepreneurial training opportunities that could be made available through local workforce investment board program. Requires the California Workforce Investment Board, by 1/1/10, to develop and distribute guidelines, or provide other assistance to, local workforce investment board to help them implement entrepreneurial and self employment training programs.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

Labor Relations

SB 189 (Harman-R) Employment: hiring practices: immigration status
Requires the Department of Personnel Administration to verify the legal status or authorization to work in the United States of every employee of the state and agencies that contract with the state prior to the hiring of that employee in accordance with the Basic Pilot Program, as specified. Requires an employer to verify the legal status or authorization to work in the United States of every employee, as specified.(Died in Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee)

SB 191 (Padilla-D) Public works: State Public Works Enforcement Fund
Establishes an alternative mechanism to fund enforcement of prevailing wage and apprenticeship requirements on specified public works projects.Vetoed

SB 529 (Cedillo-D) Private employment: meal periods
Establishes various exemptions from the meal period requirements of current law.(Died on Assembly Inactive File)

SB 569 (Steinberg-D) Public works: prevailing wage payments
Makes numerous changes to provisions of law related to the enforcement of prevailing wage payments on public works projects.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 570 (Steinberg-D) Occupational safety and health: working conditions
Requires the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, by 7/1/08, to adopt a standard, as specified, to protect workers from being exposed to excessive heat indoors.(Died in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

SB 940 (Yee-D) Temporary services employees: wages
Requires that temporary services employers, with certain exceptions, pay their employees weekly, regardless of when the assignment ends, unless the employee is discharged, quits, is assigned to work for a client on a day-to-day basis, or if the employee is assigned to work for a client engaged in a labor dispute.Chapter 169, Statutes of 2008
A similar bill was AB 1902 (Dymally-D) which died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee.

SB 1192 (Margett-R) Employment: meal and rest periods
Extends the time period where an employee can take a meal period, redefines the employer's responsibility for providing his/her employees a meal period, and decreases the statute of limitations for failing to provide a meal period.(Died in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

SB 1244 (Alquist-D) Employment retaliation
Prohibits an employer from discriminating against an employee or applicant for employment because a co-worker or immediate family member has (1) filed a claim with or instituted a proceeding before the Labor Commissioner, (2) testified or is going to testify in a proceeding before the Labor Commissioner, or (3) exercised rights afforded to employees or applicants by the Labor Code.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1352 (Wyland-R) Public works: prevailing wage rates: assessments
Allows contractors and/or subcontractors who have received a wage and penalty assessment under public works law, as an alternative to becoming automatically liable for liquidated damages in specified circumstances, to deposit the full amount of the assessment for the Department of Industrial Relations to hold in escrow, pending review and distribution.Chapter 402, Statutes of 2008

SB 1489 (Kuehl-D) Workplace protections
Requires the Department of Industrial Relations to make and provide to employers a poster regarding employee rights when faced with domestic violence or sexual assault. Requires employers to put the department-produced poster at their worksites.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1490 (Padilla-D) Employment: independent contractors
Requires California employers and the Employment Development Department to take specified actions to decrease the incidence of misclassification of workers as independent contractors. Establishes a procedure for verifying the status of those classified as independent contractors.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1547 (Correa-D) Wages: payment upon discharge: health care providers
Codifies existing payroll protocols for temporary health care services providers and clarifies that the end of an assignment is not a discharge.(Died on Senate Inactive File)

SB 1583 (Corbett-D) Employment: independent contractors
Provides that a person who, for money or other valuable consideration, knowingly advises an employer to treat an individual as an independent contractor to avoid employee status for the worker shall be jointly and severally liable with the employer, as specified, if the worker is not found to be an independent contractor.Vetoed

SB 1631 (Ackerman-R) Public works: environmental complaints: fines and penalty
Provides that, in the case of a public works project that is to be performed on real property owned or leased by the state or a political subdivision, any person that files or threatens to file, or to fund, any environmental complaint or protest regarding any permit, map, or other entitlement related to the use or development of that land, where the purpose or objective is to obtain or extract money or other thing of value from the person seeking such permit, map, or entitlement, is guilty of a misdemeanor, as specified.(Failed passage in Senate Governmental Organization Committee)

SB 4X (Dutton-R) Health insurance: employers' incentives
States the intent of the Legislature to provide incentives to employers who offer health insurance, flex-time work schedules, and other benefits agreed upon by employers and employees.(Died in Senate Rules Committee)

SCR 102 (Kehoe-D) Justice for Janitors Day
Declares 7/15/08 as Justice for Janitors Day in California, supports janitors in their fight for family health care coverage and improved wages and benefits, and makes several findings and declarations about janitors.Resolution Chapter 59, Statutes of 2008

AB 10* (Assembly Budget Committee) Software employee: overtime pay
Extends the exemption from the overtime pay requirement to computer professionals, as specified under existing law, if the employee is paid on a salary basis, earns not less than $75,000 per year for full-time employment, and is paid at least once per month in an amount not less than $6,250 per month.Chapter 753, Statutes of 2008

AB 396 (Hernandez-D) Public contracts: bid preferences: employee health care
Requires a public entity awarding a public works contract to provide a 2.5% bid preference to a bidder whose employee health care expenditures, and those of its subcontractors, are at least 6.5% of the aggregate social security wages paid to its employees in California.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 437 (Jones-D) Employment discrimination practices
Clarifies and preserves existing law regarding when an unlawful act occurs for the purpose of triggering the limitations period. Establishes that the Legislature rejects the interpretation given to federal law by the United States Supreme Court in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company which had the effect of limiting worker's abilities to bring pay discrimination claims.Vetoed

AB 465 (Houston-R) Personal services contracts
Establishes a specified professional sports exemption to the provision of existing law that generally limits personal service contracts to seven years.(Died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 510 (Benoit-R) Employment: working hours
Authorizes individual employees, with the approval of their employer, to work up to 10 hours per day within a 40-hour work week without overtime pay, as specified.(Died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 514 (Lieber-D) Workplace safety and health
Requires the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to, among other things, adopt standards establishing permissible exposure limits for toxic materials in the workplace.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)
A similar bill was AB 515 (Lieber-D) which died in Senate Rules Committee.

AB 592* (Dymally-D) Payment of wages
Exempts temporary employees employed by temporary employment agencies from any requirement of immediate payment, so long as wages are paid weekly.(Died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 613 (Tran-R) Workplace postings
Requires every regulation and notice to be written in plain language that is easily understood by employers and employees and states that the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement shall convene a working group to review all employment-related postings required in California.(Died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 628 (Price-D) Meal and rest periods: pool lifeguards
Extends current law governing meal and rest periods to pool lifeguards employed in the local public sector.Vetoed

AB 652 (Maze-R) Employment rights
Limits an employer's ability to discipline an employee for lawfully storing a firearm in their vehicle at the workplace.(Died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 689 (DeVore-R) Employment verification: social security numbers
Creates a system of fines and tax credits to encourage employers to verify social security numbers for newly hired employees.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 734 (Evans-D) Apprenticeship oversight
Amends various provisions of law related to the approval of apprenticeship programs in the building and construction industry.Vetoed

AB 735 (Keene-R) Employment: work permits
Requires persons who are not United States citizens to pay a fee and obtain a California work permit in order to be legally employed by the state.(Died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 947 (Niello-R) Apprenticeship programs
Eliminates a specified "needs requirement" under the existing law related to approval of apprenticeship programs.(Died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1034 (Keene-R) Employment: meal periods
Provides flexibility with respect to meal period requirements for commercial drivers covered by collective bargaining agreements. Permits employees in California to take their meal break before conclusion of their sixth hour of work, as well as empowers the Department of Industrial Relations to create regulations on what circumstances qualify an employee for an on-duty meal period.(Died in Senate Rules Committee)

AB 1389* (Assembly Budget Committee) 2008 General Gov't Budget Trailer Bill: Industrial Relations
Enacts the 2008 General Government Budget Trailer Bill which, among other provisions, make the necessary statutory changes to implement the budget relative to labor relation issues as follows: (1) Extends the sunset for the Department of Industrial Relations Return-to-Work program from 1/1/09 to 1/1/10. (2) Creates the Occupational Safety and Health Fund to address a deficit in the Target Inspection and Consultation Fund (TICF) which had covered the costs for Occupational Safety and Health. The new fund would be supported by revenue of approximately $18.9 million annually from a new assessment on workers' compensation premiums. With the creation of the fund, the Department of Industrial Relations will also be authorized to revise the TICF fee structure to increase revenue by approximately $3.9 million to help pay off a $13 million loan taken in the 2007-08 fiscal year to address a revenue shortfall in the fund. (3) Reinstates authorization for the Franchise Tax Board to collect delinquent assessments and penalties that are levied against employers for violation of specified labor laws and specified occupational safety and health laws.Chapter 751, Statutes of 2008

AB 1425 (Davis-D) Payment of wages
Provides that for an employee of a temporary services employer, as defined, payment is due at the next payday if the employee's assignment ends but the employee remains ready for reassignment. Specifies that payment is due within 24 hours, excluding weekends and holidays, if the employee is unconditionally terminated.(Died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1439* (Levine-D) Employee fitness
Authorizes a credit against taxes for each taxable year, beginning 1/1/09, in an amount equal to 10% of the amount paid or incurred by a qualified taxpayer, as defined, during the taxable year for qualified fitness expenditures, as defined, for the taxpayer's employees performing services in this state.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1469 (Sharon Runner-R) Alternative workweek
Authorizes the adoption of an alternative workweek schedule, not to exceed 12 hours within a 40-hour workweek, by a 55% vote of the employees.(Died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 1666 (Price-D) Meal and rest periods: stage assistants
Extends current law governing meal and rest periods to stage assistants employed in the local public sector.Vetoed

AB 1711 (Levine-D) Employment: wages and hours
Stipulates when an on-duty meal period may occur, as well as when a lunch period must be completed. Allows individual employees to be exempted from meal period laws and regulations if they are covered by a collective bargaining agreement that expressly stipulates wages, working hours and conditions, and meal periods.(Died in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

AB 1988 (Swanson-D) Employee safety
Strengthens the ability of the Department of Occupational Safety and Health to police worksites, revises and restates the mission of the Occupational Safety and Health Appeals Board, and strengthens appellate abatement procedures for department citations.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 1989 (Swanson-D) Employment
Requires that, notice be given to employees if an employer reduces 50 or more employees at a covered establishment during any 30-day period. Employers would be required to provide employees with information regarding benefits and services. Requires the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to maintain a guide of benefits and services that could be used to avert mass layoffs or relocations of workforce employees and to transmit the guide to an employer who gives notice of an impending layoff, and to post the guide on the Agency's web site. Increases the civil penalties for the violation of these provisions and directs up to 10% of the penalty revenue to the Agency to fund its duties under the bill.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 2002 (De Leon-D) Public works: payments
Increases the penalties, fines, and the interest accrual rate as provided and determined by the Labor Commissioner when a contractor or subcontractor violates the public works and prevailing wage laws. Subjects a contractor to a penalty assessment only when a contractor had knowledge or should have had knowledge of its subcontractor's noncompliance.Vetoed

AB 2037 (Portantino-D) Prevailing wage law study: California State University
Requires the Legislative Analyst's Office to complete a study of the compliance by the California State University with prevailing wage laws by 7/1/09.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 2075 (Fuentes-D) Wages: execution of release of claim or right
Prohibits employers from executing false statements of hours worked by an employee.Chapter 224, Statutes of 2008

AB 2076 (Fuentes-D) Employment: hiring practices: electronic verification
Prohibits any state, city, county or special district from requiring any employer to use E-Verify, as specified.(Died on Senate Inactive File)

AB 2127 (Benoit-R) Employment: alternative workweek schedules
Authorizes an employer with 25 or fewer employees to approve a written request of an employee to work an alternative workweek schedule for no longer than 10 hours per day within a 40-hour workweek without the payment of overtime, as specified.(Died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 2134 (Swanson-D) Employment discrimination: family and medical leave
Conforms the types of family leave available under state law to the revised federal law and expands the eligibility for the military service-related leave provisions to include an employer who is the grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of the service member.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 2177 (Bass-D) Public works: Compliance Group Representatives
Requires, until 1/1/13, the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, within the Department of Industrial Relations, to establish minimum qualifications and train qualified professionals, known as the Compliance Group Representatives, to interview workers on state public works projects and to report to the Legislature. Authorizes the Division to establish standards for the conduct of representatives and to suspend or revoke a representative's authorization to interview workers, but would not assume responsibility for conduct of a representative.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 2279 (Leno-D) Employment discrimination: medical marijuana
Prohibits employers from discriminating against an employee on the basis that the employee is a qualified medical marijuana patient.Vetoed

AB 2369 (Fuentes-D) Apprenticeship programs: prevailing wage enforcement
Authorizes an awarding body to assist the Director of the Department of Industrial Relations in the enforcement of prevailing wage laws that apply to apprenticeships, through the operation of the awarding body's approved labor compliance program.Vetoed

AB 2421 (Huff-R) Employment of unauthorized aliens
Requires the Attorney General, county counsel, or district attorney of a county in which the board of supervisors has not appointed a county counsel, to investigate a complaint alleging that an employer has intentionally employed an unauthorized alien.(Died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 2530 (Duvall-R) Private employment: meal periods: transportation workers
Provides that the meal period requirements of current law do not apply to employees whose hours are regulated by either federal or state laws regulating the hours of service of drivers.(Failed passage in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 2537 (Furutani-D) Public works: volunteers
Extends, from 1/1/09 to 1/1/12, the sunset date on the exclusion from the application of the law governing "public works," any work performed by volunteers or by members of the California Conservation Corps or of local conservation corps. Requires the Director of Industrial Relations to submit a written report containing information regarding volunteers on public works projects, as specified, to the Legislature by 1/1/11. Costs incurred in the preparation of this report would be funded by moneys in the Environmental License Plate Fund.Chapter 678, Statutes of 2008
Similar legislation was SB 1345 (Ashburn-R) which failed passage in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee, AB 2364 (Walters-R) which died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee, and AB 26XXX (Jefferies-R) which died in the Assembly being unassigned to a committee.

AB 2629 (Evans-D) Safety of conveyances: exclusions
Makes changes to existing law relating to the construction, maintenance, and inspection of conveyances.Vetoed

AB 2672 (Walters-R) Employment: overtime exemptions
Revises an existing exemption for "outside salespersons" in the broadcasting industry. Specifies that, for purposes of the broadcasting industry, the exemption for "outside salespersons" means either of the following: (1) a person 18 years of age or older who customarily and regularly works more than one-half of his or her working time away from the employer's place of business selling a tangible or intangible item or obtaining an order or contract for a product, a service, or the use of a facility, and (2) a salesperson 18 years of age or older whose earnings exceed one and one-half times the state minimum wage and whose commission earnings represent more than one-half of his or her compensation.(Died in Assembly Labor and Employment Committee)

AB 2716 (Ma-D) Employment: paid sick days
Provides that an employee is entitled to paid sick days which shall be accrued at a rate of no less than one hour for every 30 hours worked. Employers will be required to provide paid sick days, upon request, for diagnosis, care, or treatment of health conditions of the employee or an employee's family member, or for leave related to domestic violence or sexual abuse. Requires employers to satisfy specific posting and notice and recordkeeping requirements.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 2874 (Lieber-D) Employment: civil rights: damages
Deletes the $150,000 limitation on actual damages that may be assessed by the Fair Employment and Housing Commission against a respondent who violates the "hate crime" provision of the California Civil Rights Act of 2005.Vetoed

AB 2879 (Leno-D) Employee wages and working hours: violators
Requires the Labor Commissioner or his/her designee from the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, in consultation with the Franchise Tax Board and the Economic and Employment Enforcement Coalition to develop and implement standards that, if met by an employer, would trigger a recommendation for an audit or investigation by appropriate tax authorities of employers in violation of statutes relating to employee wages, hours and working conditions.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 2918 (Lieber-D) Employment: usage of consumer credit reports
Specifies when a credit report can be pulled for employment purposes.Vetoed

AB 3059 (Assembly Labor And Employment Committee) Economic and Employment Enforcement Coalition
Requires the Labor and Workforce Development Agency to annually submit a report to the Legislature describing the overall effectiveness of the Economic and Employment Enforcement Coalition.Vetoed

AB 3061 (Assembly Labor And Employment Committee) Employees: indemnification
Amends existing law related to employer reimbursement of employee expenses. Specifies that the federal Internal Revenue Service standard mileage rate is presumed to be a reasonable per mile rate for reimbursement of the usage of a personally provided vehicle for work purposes for miles driven during the effective period of the rate. Clarifies that for purposes of existing law, "indemnify" includes reimbursing an employee for all expenditures incurred by the employee in the course and performance of his/her employment.(Died in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

AB 3062 (Assembly Labor And Employment Committee) Employment: termination: garnishment of wages
Amends the prohibition for employer termination of an employee due to wage garnishment to include when an employee's wages have been subjected to garnishment for the payment of one or more judgments.Vetoed

ACR 101 (Swanson-D) Safe Jobs for Youth Month
Recognizes May 2008 as Safe Jobs for Youth Month in California in order to raise awareness about issues relating to the health and safety of young people in the workforce.Resolution Chapter 29, Statutes of 2008

ACR 103 (Plescia-R) Take Your Dog to Work Day
Designates 6/20/08 as Take Your Dog to Work Day, and encourages employers to make their workplaces pet friendly.(Died in Assembly Rules Committee)

AJR 28 (Leno-D) Union representation
Requests the President of the United States and the United States Congress to enact the Re-Empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradesworkers (RESPECT) Act, S. 969 and H.R. 1644, to reverse a decision by the National Labor Relations Board that effectively limits the rights of millions of workers to join unions merely because they sometimes assign tasks to coworkers.Resolution Chapter 151, Statutes of 2008

Workers' Compensation

SB 154 (Cedillo-D) Workers' compensation: public safety personnel
Deletes the two year limit on the payment of temporary disability to volunteer and paid law enforcement and firefighting employees who suffer from specified injuries and conditions.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 420* (Negrete McLeod-D) Workers' compensation group: corporation taxes: deduction
Authorizes a workers' compensation self-insured group to elect to take a deduction for all of a contribution or assessment accrued or received during the taxable year for purposes of payment on subsequent years of its members' workers' compensation liabilities or contributions, as required under specified laws.(Died in Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

SB 452 (Cogdill-R) Workers' compensation: employment: family-owned farms
Excludes from the definition of "employee" any person who provides services on a family-owned farm, as defined, and is employed without financial compensation by his/her parent, spouse, child, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or first or second cousin. Requires the Department of Industrial Relations to prescribe a form to be filed by a family-owned farm for purposes of claiming an exemption from the provisions of the workers' compensation system.(Died in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

SB 723 (Yee-D) State Compensation Insurance Fund
Allows the State Compensation Insurance Fund to participate in a 24-hour care pilot project to be developed and implemented pursuant to statute and by regulations adopted by the Administrative Director of the Division of Workers' Compensation for a period of six years, commencing with the adoption of the regulations. During the pilot project, the fund would have the authority to contract with health care service plans or health insurers to be the exclusive providers of medical, surgical, and hospital treatment for both occupational and nonoccupational injuries and illnesses of employees of employers who purchase coverage from the fund, and who elect to purchase joint occupational and nonoccupational health care coverage.(Died in Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee)

SB 1005 (Florez-D) Workers' compensation: claim files: disclosure
Requires a third-party administrator responsible for administering an employer's workers' compensation claims to discuss all elements of the claim file that affect the employer's premium with the employer, and to supply copies of the documents that affect the premium, at the employer's expense.(Died in Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee)

SB 1103 (Cedillo-D) Workers' Compensation: permanent disability benefits
Provides, for injuries occurring on or after 1/1/09, for a supplemental job displacement benefit in the form of a voucher for up to $6,000 to cover various reeducation and skill enhancement expenses, which would expire two years after the date the voucher is furnished to the employee or five years after the date of injury, whichever is later. Exempts employers who make an offer of reemployment or continued employment, from providing vouchers. Requires the administrative director of the Division of Workers' Compensation to adopt regulations implementing the program.(Died in Assembly Rules Committee)

SB 1115 (Migden-D) Workers' compensation: permanent disability apportionment
Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, age, gender, marital status, sex or genetic predisposition in the process of apportioning medical causation for purposes of determining an employer's liability for the permanent disability of an employee injured on the job.Vetoed

SB 1145* (Machado-D) State Compensation Insurance Fund
Restructures the governance of the State Compensation Insurance Fund. Allows the board to appoint six additional exempt positions in addition to the president, with salaries to be set by the board of directors. Applies the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act to meetings of the board. Applies the Milton Marks Postgovernment Employment Restrictions Act to members of the board of directors and other executive level employees, as specified.Chapter 344, Statutes of 2008

SB 1189 (Cedillo-D) Workers' compensation: job displacement benefits
Limits delays in the provision of training/retraining services to permanently injured workers who do not receive a timely offer to return to work by their employer and ensures that determinations of eligibility are related to a workers' permanent disability status.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 1338 (Migden-D) Workers' compensation: medical treatment
Deletes the sunset date on the law that authorizes a worker to predesignate his/her personal treating physician as the treating physician in the event of a workplace injury, and deletes the requirement that the Division of Workers' Compensation prepare a report evaluating the predesignation program.Vetoed

SB 1717 (Perata-D) Workers' compensation: permanent partial disability benefits
Increases the number of weeks that permanent disability benefits are paid, thereby increasing the amount of money received for each percent of disability.Vetoed

AB 419 (Lieber-D) Workers' compensation: public employees: leaves of absence
Expands the scope of the law that provides that specified safety officers (police and firefighters) are entitled to full pay, tax free, for up to one year after an on-the-job injury ("4850 time") in lieu of temporary disability benefits.Vetoed

AB 507 (De La Torre-D) Workers' compensation: rating organizations
Requires the Workers' Compensation Rating Bureau, a private entity that is designated by the Insurance Commissioner as the "statistical agent" to carry out specified statutory functions, to make available to the public on its web site information about whether or not an employer has workers' compensation insurance.Vetoed

AB 807 (Hancock-D) Workers' compensation: medical treatment
Specifies that the limits provided under workers' compensation for chiropractic treatment, occupational therapy treatment, and physical therapy will not apply when prescribed as follow-up care after surgery with evidence-based medical treatment guidelines generally recognized by the national medical community.(Died in Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 1341 (Benoit-R) Workers' compensation: temporary disability
Extends the period during which an injured workers can collect up to 104 weeks of temporary disability benefits from two years from the date temporary disability benefits commenced to a period of four years from the date of injury.(Failed passage in Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 1619 (Benoit-R) Workers' compensation: insurer licensing
Allows any insurer admitted to transact health insurance or workers' compensation insurance, or a health care service plan licensed pursuant to the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act, to make written application to the Insurance Commissioner for a license to offer a single policy that provides health care services and workers' compensation benefits.(Died in Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 1624 (Niello-R) Workers' compensation: public employees: retirement
Authorizes an employer, insurer, or third-party administrator to disclose medical information to an investigator of the California Highway Patrol for purposes of a workers' compensation fraud investigation. Allows the Board of the Public Employees' Retirement System to convert a patrol employee's disability retirement to a service retirement under specified circumstances. Provides that the supplemental job displacement benefit is not payable to a peace officer who is eligible for the maximum service retirement benefit.(Died in Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 1682 (Benoit-R) State Compensation Insurance Fund
States findings and declarations regarding the governance of the State Compensation Insurance Fund. Declares the Legislature shall consider the number of members necessary for adequate oversight, the appointing authority of board members, and the type and level of experience required for board members. Specifies that the Fund is subject to the Political Reform Act of 1974.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1874 (Coto-D) State Compensation Insurance Fund
Reforms the structure of the Board of Directors of the State Compensation Insurance Fund. Expands the Board of Directors to 11 members, adds legislative appointments, repeals the requirement that directors be policyholders, specifies compensation for the directors, and establishes qualifications for the directors.Chapter 322, Statutes of 2008

AB 2081 (Coto-D) Workers' compensation
Prohibits kickbacks from a utilization review company to a third party administrator as an inducement for the third party administrator to refer a workers' compensation claim for utilization review, and clarifies the law that authorizes a private corporation that has all of its shareholders working for the company to exclude these officer/shareholders from workers' compensation coverage.Vetoed

AB 2091 (Fuentes-D) Workers' compensation: pharmacy services annual study
Requires that the administrative director of the Division of Workers Compensation contract with an independent consulting firm to study if there is adequate access for injured workers to pharmacy services and prescription drugs and, if necessary, adjust the reimbursement rate under the Medi-Cal fee schedule.Chapter 193, Statutes of 2008

AB 2103 (Plescia-R) Workers' compensation: horse racing: thoroughbred racing
Extends the sunset date, from 1/1/09 to 1/1/14, on a deduction from parimutuel wagering on thoroughbred horse racing in order to defray the costs of pay or workers' compensation insurance.Chapter 443, Statutes of 2008

AB 2351 (Garrick-R) Workers' compensation: medical treatment utilization reviews
Eliminates the requirement that insurers and employers provide notices approving treatment that has already been provided, and extends the time for them to provide retrospective notices delaying, denying, or modifying treatment from 30 calendar days to 30 working days.(Failed passage in Assembly Insurance Committee)

SB 115 (Florez-D) Employment service program costs
States the intent of the Legislature to appropriate $2 million from the General Fund for support of the Employment Development Department employment service programs and related administrative costs attributable to the freezing weather conditions of January 2007.(Died in Senate Rules Committee)

SB 1173 (Scott-D) Unemployment insurance: employers: motion picture industry
Extends, from 30 days to 45 days, the time period within which a motion picture payroll services company must notify the production companies and allied motion picture service companies of its intent to quit business. Authorizes a motion picture payroll services company to extend a current voluntary plan for disability benefits to workers of affiliated professional entities.Chapter 391, Statutes of 2008

SB 1661 (Kuehl-D) Unemployment compensation: family leave: good cause
Allows individuals who leave employment to take paid family leave to become potentially eligible for unemployment insurance benefits in the future, provided these individuals meet all of the other unemployment insurance requirements.Vetoed

AB 651 (Sharon Runner-R) Unemployment compensation: gross misconduct
Disqualifies an individual for unemployment compensation benefits, if the Director of the Department of Employment Development determines that the individual has been discharged for gross misconduct connected with the most recent work.(Died in Assembly Insurance Committee)

AB 1107* (Arambula-D) Unemployment compensation benefits: drought-related
Increases the allowable maximum earnings from $25 (or 25% of wages) to $200 per week that a person eligible for unemployment compensation may keep as a result of a loss of work from the 2008 drought.Vetoed

AB 3066 (Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee) Unemployment insurance: Employment Training Panel: veterans
Expands the number of those specified projects that qualify for priority funding from the Employment Training Panel to include projects that support veterans and members of the California National Guard, especially those individuals who have become disabled as a result of military service. Requires the Employment Training Panel to include in its three-year plan, goals, objectives, and strategies to support target populations, including veterans.Vetoed

AJR 56 (Swanson-D) Unemployment benefits
Encourages the federal government to expand the length of time an employed worker may collect unemployment benefits.Resolution Chapter 83, Statutes of 2008

Financial Institutions

SB 638 (Romero-D) Credit union services
Authorizes a credit union to sell to persons in the field of membership negotiable checks, money orders, and other similar money transfer instruments. Authorizes a credit union, for a fee, to cash checks and money orders and receive international and domestic electronic fund transfers for persons in the field of membership.(Died in Senate Banking, Finance, and Insurance Committee)

SB 926* (Perata-D) Residential mortgage loans: foreclosure procedures
Enacts a comprehensive package of foreclosure reforms designed to prevent unnecessary residential foreclosures from further worsening the state and local economy and housing markets. Requires a notice to be sent to borrowers prior to any projected change in mortgage payment, and requires lenders to contact borrowers to arrange an in-person meeting and provide the borrower a list of HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) certified counselors before filing a Notice of Default on a residential property in default.(Died on Senate Floor)

SB 1007 (Machado-D) Exchange facilitators
Requires a person engaging in business as an exchange facilitator, as defined, to comply with certain bonding and insurance requirements, and to notify existing exchange clients whose relinquished or replacement property is located in this state of any change in control of the exchange facilitator. Requires a person engaging in business as an exchange facilitator to, among other things, act as a custodian for all exchange funds and to invest those funds in investments that meet a prudent investor standard, as specified.Chapter 708, Statutes of 2008

SB 1137* (Perata-D) Residential mortgage loans: foreclosure procedures
Enacts several changes to the procedures that must be followed before the holder of a mortgage may issue a notice of default or notice of trustee sale, requires the holder of a mortgage to mail a specified notice to the tenant(s) of a property on which foreclosures proceedings have begun, and imposes penalties on property owners who fail to adequately maintain foreclosed properties, as specified.Chapter 69, Statutes of 2008

SB 1242* (Runner-R) Residential mortgages
Requires a person or entity that arranges financing in connection with a sale, lease, or exchange of real property and acts as an agent with respect to that property to make a written disclosure of those roles and his or her compensation, within 24 hours, to all parties to the sale, lease, or exchange and any related loan transaction.(Died In Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 1551 (Correa-D) Deferred deposit transactions
Enacts a number of the regulatory recommendations from the Department of Corporations' March 2008 report on the payday loan law, including those that relate to advertising, recordkeeping, disclosure of fees and other charges, and repayment plans.(Failed passage in Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 1604 (Machado-D) Escrow Agents' Fidelity Corporation
Requires that any private insurance policy maintained by an escrow agent be applied as primary coverage, in the event of a loss covered by both the private insurance and the Escrow Agents' Fidelity Corporation.Chapter 285, Statutes of 2008

A similar bill was SB 1286 (Machado) which failed passage in Assembly Banking and Finance Committee).

SB 1678 (Florez-D) Debt management and settlement
Enacts the Debt Settlement Services Act, effective 1/1/10, for the purpose of licensing debt settlement service providers.(Died in Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee)
A similar bill was AB 2611 (Lieu-D) which died in Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee.

AB 180 (Bass-D) Mortgages: foreclosure consultants
Amends existing law relative to foreclosure consultants to (1) prohibit a foreclosure consultant from entering specified pre-foreclosure agreements with a homeowner, (2) allow a homeowner to cancel within five days of signing a contract with a foreclosure consultant, and (3) require the foreclosure consultant to maintain a surety bond, as specified.Chapter 278, Statutes of 2008

AB 512 (Lieber-D) Contracts: translation
Requires supervised financial organizations, as defined, who negotiate any material term of a contract or agreement, in one of five listed foreign languages, to provide either an approved disclosure form or a translated copy of the contract or agreement to the borrower, as specified. Subjects violators of this section to specified penalties for failure to comply. Gives aggrieved borrowers certain rights to rescind contracts.(Died in Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee)

AB 529 (Torrico-D) Mortgages: adjustable interest rates: notification
Requires borrowers to receive notice if their loan is scheduled to switch from an initial fixed rate to an adjustable rate, or set to reset to a fully amortizing loan.Vetoed

AB 786 (Lieu-D) Financial institutions: greenhouse gas emissions
States that banks providing financial incentives to assist other entities in reducing greenhouse gasses prior to 1/1/12 may receive an appropriate credit under the greenhouse gas emissions reduction program adopted by the Air Resources Board.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 1301 (Gaines-R) Financial institutions
Updates, organizes, and rearranges the California Banking Law to improve the ability of the Department of Financial Institutions to administer the law, and to ease both understanding of, and compliance with, the law by licensees.Chapter 125, Statutes of 2008

AB 1418 (Arambula-D) Credit Union Membership Investment Model
Requires the Credit Union Advisory Committee to develop a Credit Union Membership Investment Model that identifies best practices relating to community development, small business and microenterprise financing, and investments of credit union capital, as specified.Vetoed

AB 1534 (Nunez-D) Deferred deposit transactions
Expands upon existing law which requires the Department of Corporations to report to the Governor and Legislature, by 12/1/07, on its implementation of the California Deferred Deposit Transaction Law, the payday loan lending law. Augments the required report, and requires it to be sent to the Governor and Legislature on or before 3/1/08.(Died on Senate Inactive File)

AB 2161 (Swanson-D) Loans: consumer complaints
Requires the Department of Real Estate, the Department of Financial Institutions, and the Department of Corporations to report to the Legislature on consumer complaints related to nontraditional loans.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 2249 (Niello-R) Financial institutions: accounts
Provides for specific circumstances in which a government entity may access account information of a customer's account at a bank, credit union or savings association.Chapter 234, Statutes of 2008

AB 2323 (Huff-R) Escrow agents
Expands the Escrow Law to include federal summary criminal history information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.Chapter 262, Statutes of 2008

AB 2359 (Jones-D) Loans
Provides that an originator, beneficiary, trustee or assignee shall not require as a condition of an agreement regarding a covered loan, subprime loan, or non-traditional loan that the applicant waive any duties, remedies, or forums of California law with respect to a residential mortgage or mortgage foreclosure.(Died in Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee)

AB 2509 (Galgiani-D) Homeownership preservation
Establishes the Homeownership Preservation Mortgage Guarantee Program, as specified, administered by the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, using federal funding made available through the Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008 (HR 5818).(Died in Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee)

AB 2733 (Brownley-D) Real property disclosures
Requires a seller of real property that is located within 1/4 mile of an environmental hazard site to disclose that information to potential buyers, and requires a similar disclosure be made by a person filing a public report with the Department of Real Estate for the purpose of offering subdivided land for sale or lease.Vetoed

AB 2749 (Gaines-R) Financial institutions: disclosure & reporting requirements
Reorganizes sections of the Financial Code relating to the powers of the Commissioner of the Department of Financial Institutions and makes other technical changes intended to ease administration of the law by the department.Chapter 501, Statutes of 2008

AB 2751 (Strickland-R) Mortgages: residential property
Requires every person or financial institution that makes loans upon the security of real property containing only a one- to four-family residence and that is located in this state, or purchases obligations secured by that property, that receives money for payment of settlement proceeds, as defined, to place that money in an interest bearing account.(Died in Assembly Banking and Finance Committee)

AJR 45 (Coto-D) Mortgage loans: federal conforming/FHA mortgage loan limits
Memorializes the Congress of the Untied States to enact, and the President of the United States to sign, a permanent increase in the conforming mortgage loan limit and the Federal Housing Administration limit, to the levels to which these limits were increased in the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008.Resolution Chapter 81, Statutes of 2008

AJR 59 (Solorio-D) California subprime mortgage foreclosures
Urges the President and the Congress of the United States to require more oversight of mortgage lenders and loan servicers and increase disclosures and enforcement of mortgage laws.(Died in Assembly Banking and Finance Committee)

Miscellaneous

SB 49 (Migden-D) Sports franchises: local government: nonassistance
Prohibits a city, county, city and county, or redevelopment agency from providing any financial assistance, as defined, to a sports stadium project, as specified.(Died in Senate Local Government Committee)

SB 237 (Dutton-R) Contractors: mechanics' liens
Requires a contractor who records a lien claim, as specified, and who fails to perform specified acts within 90 days of recording the claim, to execute and record a release of the lien within 15 days of the date the lien became null and void.(Died in Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 294 (Ackerman-R) Corporations: disclosure statements
Requires corporations to disclose whether the corporation is publicly traded and, if so, the corporation's Central Index Key, as defined. Requires the Secretary of State to include on its Internet web site instructions on how one may use a publicly traded corporation's Central Index Key to obtain information about that corporation from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.(Died in Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 329 (Dutton-R) Business plans: business plans
Requires the Office of Emergency Services, in consultation with the Department of Toxic Substances Control, to adopt regulations to authorize an administering agency to allow a business to submit a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan to the administering agency in lieu of submitting a business plan, under certain conditions.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

SB 355 (Margett-R) Contractors: consultants
Includes, within the definition of "contractor," a person who schedules subcontractors or who provides a service to complete a project for a work of improvement that is covered by a licensed contractor classification.(Died in Assembly Business and Professions Committee)

SB 447 (Maldonado-R) Junk dealers
Requires a junk dealer or recycler to report information about each sale or purchase of junk to the chief of police of the city or the sheriff of the county in which the junk dealer or recycler purchased the junk, in the same manner as required by a second hand dealer or coin dealer, as specified.Chapter 732, Statutes of 2008

SB 563 (Ridley-Thomas-D) Outdoor advertising
Provides that an advertising display whose height, orientation, or size is modified after erection in a manner that causes it to become illegal is not a lawfully erected display. Deletes the provisions enabling an advertising display to be deemed lawfully erected if it is subsequently brought into full compliance with state laws and local ordinances, and the provisions establishing the rebuttable presumption regarding an advertising display in existence for a period of five years or longer. Authorizes advertising displays that are subsequently altered in violation of the terms of a building permit to be removed without compensation.(Died in Senate Rules Committee)

SB 571 (Yee-D) Organized retail crime
Requires the California Research Bureau of the California State Library, by 9/30/08, to report to the Legislature on the economic losses caused by organized retail crime, makes legislative declarations and findings regarding the problems caused by organized retail crime, and states the Legislature's intent to define the crime and provide law enforcement with the necessary tools to investigate and prosecute the crime.(Died in Senate Rules Committee)

SB 580 (Wiggins-D) Pawnbrokers
Provides for a minimum charge of no more than $3 a month on any pawn loan, and prohibits the pawn loan setup fee from exceeding $5 or two percent, whichever is greater, not to exceed $10.Chapter 340, Statutes of 2008

SB 596 (Harman-R) Computerized payment systems: antisniffer protection
Requires a computerized payment system sold as new in this state to include antisniffer protection, as defined, that protects data traveling through the system and any directions necessary for use of the antisniffer protection.(Died in Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 654 (Denham-R) Accountants: licensing examination
Allows for an applicant for admission to the examination for a certified public accountant license to have graduated from an unaccredited degree-granting institution, as long as the institution is a candidate for accreditation and is accredited within five years subsequent to the application for accreditation.(Died in Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee)

SB 700* (Ducheny-D) Destination management company
Provides that a qualified destination management company, as defined, shall be deemed to be a consumer, and not a retailer, of tangible personal property it provides to its clients, on and after 1/1/01, pursuant to a qualified contract for destination management services, as defined.(Died in Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

SB 738 (Calderon-D) Works of improvement
Requires, under both the Contractors State License Law, as applicable to public works of improvement only, and the State Contract Act, a contractor, prime contractor, or subcontractor, when paying for work performed by the subcontractor, to pay those amounts to the subcontractor not later than seven, rather than 10, days of receipt of each progress payment. Deletes provisions of existing law authorizing a claimant to enforce a claim by giving written notice to the surety and the bond principal within 15 days after recordation of a notice of completion and extending the time for giving written notice to the surety and bond principal to 75 days after completion of the work of improvement if a notice of completion has not been recorded.(Died in Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 749* (Oropeza-D) Limited liability companies: annual fees
Provides, for taxable years beginning on or after 1/1/01, that "total income from all sources reportable to this state" means gross income plus the cost of goods sold derived from or attributable to this state within the meaning of specified provisions of the Corporation Tax Law relating to apportionment and allocation, as provided. Makes legislative findings and declarations regarding the necessity for the equitable treatment of limited liability companies.(Died in Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

SB 797* (Ridley-Thomas-D) Professions and vocations
Authorizes the Department of Consumer Affairs to create advisory committees to the Dental Board of California, the Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Board, the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians, and the Barbering and Cosmetology Board. Allows the Board of Behavioral Sciences to take disciplinary action against licensees after the current statute of limitation has expired in specified circumstances, and makes other changes to boards and programs under the Department of Consumer Affairs.Chapter 33, Statutes of 2008

SB 804 (Hollingsworth-R) Business: trespass
Defines a new form of misdemeanor trespass that will be committed where the defendant enters or remains in a place of business open to the public after previously having interfered with the business, at which time the person was asked to leave and was issued a written warning or request directing him or her not to return for six months, as specified.(Died in Senate Public Safety Committee)

SB 963 (Ridley-Thomas-D) Department of Consumer Affairs: regulatory boards
Extends the sunset date on the Board of Psychology, the Acupuncture Board, the Board of Behavior Sciences, the Contractors' State License Board, the Board of Geologists and Geophysicists, the Court Reporters Board, and the State Athletic Commission until 1/1/11, and establishes a sunset date of 1/1/13, for the Bureau for Private and Postsecondary Education.Chapter 385, Statutes of 2008

SB 986 (Ridley-Thomas-D) Pet stores
Revises the guidelines by which a pet store operator or employee may euthanize rodents and rabbits intended as food for another animal, as specified.Vetoed

SB 1206 (Calderon-D) Structural pest control
Authorizes a pest control company registered in Branch 2 or Branch 3 to advertise fumigation or any and all encompassing treatment, as specified.Chapter 46, Statutes of 2008

SB 1209 (Maldonado-R) Private security services
Requires the Department of Consumer Affairs, in consultation with the Office of Emergency Services, to study the impact of specified declared emergencies on the supply and demand for security guards in this state. If significant shortages are found to exist, the Department of Consumer Affairs and the Office of Emergency Services are to recommend legislation ensuring that adequate numbers of security guards are available to protect life and property during emergencies.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 1215 (Harman-R) Professional fiduciaries
Redefines a professional fiduciary by clarifying that a conservator or guardian who may qualify as a professional fiduciary includes a conservator of the person or estate, a conservator of the person and estate, and a guardian of the estate of two or more persons at the same time who are not related by blood, adoption, marriage, or registered domestic partnership, as specified.(Died in Assembly Judiciary Committee)

SB 1225 (Harman-R) Private cemeteries: limited liability companies
Allows a limited liability company (LLC) to operate as a cemetery authority and provide various cemetery and funeral-related services, by employing persons licensed for these services, if the LLC maintains a specified minimum amount of insurance and/or assets. Prohibits a person licensed to provide any cemetery or funeral-related service from having any ownership interest as a member of an LLC designated as a cemetery authority.Chapter 114, Statutes of 2008

SB 1312 (Yee-D) Registered interior designers
Creates, within the California Architects Board, the Registered Interior Design Committee for the registration of registered interior designers. The Registered Interior Design Committee will review the qualifications of candidates for examination as a registered interior designer. Makes it unlawful for a person to hold him or herself out to the public or solicit business as a registered interior designer without holding a certificate of registration, unless the person is exempt, as specified.(Died on Senate Inactive File)

SB 1329 (Harman-R) Charitable institutions: fund management: dissolution
Repeals the Uniform Management of Institutional Funds Act (UMIFA) and enacts the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act, which revises and reenacts the provisions contained in UMIFA. Requires an institution, when managing and investing an institutional fund, to consider the charitable purposes, as defined, of the institution and the purposes of the fund, to act in good faith and with the care of an ordinarily prudent person, to incur only reasonable and appropriate costs, and to take specified factors into consideration. Establishes procedures for the modification of restrictions on the use of institutional funds and authorizes a charitable institution to modify a restriction on the use of institutional funds not exceeding $100,000 and older then 20 years by making a filing with the Attorney General rather than seeking court relief.Chapter 715, Statutes of 2008

SB 1337 (Correa-D) Contractors: limited liability companies
Allows a limited liability company to render contractor's services that are "professional services" prohibited by the Beverly-Killea Limited Liability Company, by authorizing the issuance of a contractor's license to a limited liability company under the Business and Professions Code.(Died in Senate Judiciary Committee)

SB 1362 (Margett-R) Electrician certification
Authorizes specified disciplinary action for failure to comply with existing law related to the certification of electricians.Chapter 716, Statutes of 2008

SB 1400 (Simitian-D) Sweepstakes
Recasts California's sweepstakes law by requiring additional disclosures and consumer protections. Prohibits all sweepstakes solicitations from representing that a person has been specially selected, as defined, unless that representation is true, and prohibits sweepstakes solicitations from making various other misleading or false representations. Requires the official rules for a sweepstakes to disclose information about the date the final winner will be determined, and prohibits a sweepstakes sponsor, as defined, from charging a fee as a condition of receiving a monetary distribution or obtaining information about a prize or sweepstakes.Chapter 749, Statutes of 2008

SB 1420 (Padilla-D) Food facilities: nutritional information
Requires, by 1/1/11, every food facility in this state that operates under common ownership or control, with at least 19 other food facilities with the same name, that sell substantially the same menu items, or operates as a franchised outlet of a parent company with at least 19 other franchises, with the same name, that sell substantially the same menu items, to disclose to consumers specified nutritional information for all standard menu items.Chapter 600, Statutes of 2008

SB 1432 (Margett-R) Contractors
Clarifies that a home or property owner no longer has to provide that a license law violation by a contractor was willful and deliberate when filing for a claim on their bond. Expands and clarifies the time period for consumers to file a claim against a bond when the license of a contractor was inactivated, cancelled, or revoked, and increases the portion of the bond that is available in a small claims action for a person (claimant) against the contractor's bond from $4,000 to $6,500.Chapter 157, Statutes of 2008

SB 1449 (Calderon-D) Works of improvement: liens
Requires each subcontractor or material supplier entitled to a payment bond claim or stop notice on a public work of improvement in an amount greater than $400 to provide specified information regarding other subcontractors or material suppliers with which that person contracts that are entitled to file a claim on the surety bond on that work of improvement. Requires that the information be provided, within 14 days of commencing work on the work of improvement, to the original contractor for that work of improvement.(Died in Assembly Judiciary Committee)

SB 1450* (Dutton-R) Thrift stores: sales and use taxes: exemptions
Provides a sales and use tax exemption for property sold by thrift stores operated by the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. The exemption sunsets on 1/1/13.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

SB 1463 (Maldonado-R) Corporation taxes: charitable contributions
Provides a deduction equal to 200% of any charitable contribution donated to the state parks trust, in addition to the deduction the current law allows. The money can be used only to supplement, not supplant, California park operations, maintenance, and other expenditures typically provided by the state. Further, the combined aggregate deduction an individual or corporation may claim cannot exceed $35 million.(Died in Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

SB 1469 (Calderon-D) Collateral recovery: tow vehicles
Allows the impoundment of tangible property used to violate the Collateral Recovery Act. Requires law enforcement agencies that impound vehicles to remain open, without the necessity of making an appointment, and to issue a release to the registered owner or legal owner of a vehicle whenever the agency is open to serve the public. Requires specified facilities where impounded vehicles are stored to accept valid credit cards, and makes various revisions to the Collateral Recovery Act concerning tow vehicles.Vetoed

SB 1550 (Florez-D) Corporations: climate change disclosure
Requires the State Controller to develop a voluntary, investor-based standard for use by listed corporations doing business in California that address climate change risks in order to help investors make better informed decisions.(Died on Senate Unfinished Business)

SB 1581 (Aanestad-R) Contractors
Exempts a contractor furnishing a performance and payment bond from including, as part of the contract, a notice stating that the owner or tenant has the right to require the contractor to have a performance and payment bond, as well as from minimum typeface point size requirements for specified notices and statements.(Failed passage in Assembly Judiciary Committee)

SB 1698 (Romero-D) Contractors: public works
Requires licensed contractors and subcontractors, in order to perform work on state public works projects after 1/1/11, to obtain a public works certification from the Contractors State License Board prior to performing public works projects.Vetoed

SB 1765 (Kuehl-D) Motion picture, television, and radio contracts
Prohibits the holder of rights in a motion picture, television program or series, or radio program to sell or license those rights to an affiliated entity for less than their fair market value where a third party or health and welfare or pension trust fund, is entitled to receive payment based on the proceeds from the sale or license. Defines "fair market value" and "affiliated entity", and sets forth guidelines where an action is brought to enforce the provisions of this bill.(Died on Senate Inactive File)

SB 1779 (Senate Business, Professions And Economic Development Committee) Professions and vocations
Makes several non-controversial, minor, nonsubstantive or technical changes to various miscellaneous provisions pertaining to the health-related regulatory boards of the Department of Consumer Affairs.Vetoed

SB 1780 (Senate Business, Professions And Economic Development Committee) Professions and vocations
Makes various non-controversial, minor, non-substantive and technical changes to provisions of law pertaining to regulatory boards of the Department of Consumer Affairs and professions regulated under the Business and Professions Code.(Died on Assembly Inactive File)

SB 26X (McClintock-R) Multiple employer welfare arrangements
Allows an association, as defined, that satisfies specified criteria to apply to the Department of Insurance for a certificate of compliance for a self-funded or partially self-funded Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangement, as defined, established by the association on or after 1/1/08.(Died in Senate Health Committee)

SCR 24 (Ackerman-R) United Parcel Service of America, Inc.
Recognizes the centennial of the United Parcel Service of America, Inc. and its contributions to the citizens of the State of California.(Died in Senate Rules Committee)

SCR 104 (Scott-D) Construction Career Awareness Day
Recognizes 4/17/08 as the 8th annual Construction Career Awareness Day in northern California.(Died in Assembly Rules Committee)

SR 19 (Padilla-D) Relative to National Engineers Week
Recognizes the week of 2/17/08, to 2/23/08, inclusive, as National Engineers Week and acknowledges the services bestowed upon the citizens of California by engineers.Adopted by the Senate

AB 251 (DeSaulnier-D) Corporations: distributions
Provides, if a shareholder receives a prohibited distribution, the shareholder is liable to the corporation for an amount equal to the distribution, and specifies that a board member of a corporation that receives a prohibited distribution, with or without knowledge of the facts, indicating its impropriety, is subject to the same liability as a shareholder who has knowledge of the prohibited distribution.(Died in Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance Committee)

AB 264 (Mendoza-D) Secondhand dealers and coin dealers
Allows pawnbrokers and coin dealers, as specified, to accept valid government identification cards or documents, such as a military identification card or a United States visa issued to a Mexican citizen, if the identification document is designed to not include a signature.Vetoed

AB 429 (Evans-D) Lodging: privacy
Provides that an innkeeper shall not be required to produce information from a guest registry, except upon the request of a peace officer investigating a criminal offense who has a reasonable suspicion that the registry contains the identity of a person relevant to the investigation, and permits a peace officer to seize a guest registry only if there is probable cause for the peace officer to believe that the registry contains the identity of a person relevant to the investigation.(Died in Senate Public Safety Committee)

AB 455 (Cook-R) Contractors State License Board
Requires an affirmative vote of a majority of the members currently serving on the Contractors State License Board in order to take an action or make a decision.(Died on Senate Inactive File)

AB 498 (Hernandez-D) Business activities in Sudan
Prohibits a scrutinized company, as defined, that is involved in specified activities in Sudan, from entering into a contract with a state agency for goods or services. Also requires a prospective bidder for those state contracts that currently or within the previous three years has had business activities or other operations outside of the United States, to certify that the company is not a scrutinized company and imposes civil penalties, as specified, for a company that provides a false certification. Allows the Director of the Department of General Services, under specified conditions, to permit a scrutinized company to enter into state contracts for goods and services.Chapter 272, Statutes of 2008

AB 501 (Swanson-D) Pharmaceutical manufacturers
Requires pharmaceutical manufacturers, upon request, to arrange to provide consumers who are prescribed pre-filled syringes, pre-filled pens, or other pre-filled injection devices, with a postage prepaid mail-back sharps container, or other approved sharps container. Requires such manufacturers to also provide information on safe disposal alternatives and options for medical sharps, and to provide notice that California law prohibits their disposal in conventional waste streams, as specified. Prohibits such manufacturers from using or disclosing personal information that they receive for purposes unrelated to fulfilling their requirements under the bill.Vetoed

AB 518 (Mendoza-D) Barbering and cosmetology: threading
Deletes the 7/1/09 sunset date of the provision that exempted the practice of hair threading from regulation by the Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, and provides for a permanent exemption for the practice of hair threading.Chapter 187, Statutes of 2008

AB 611 (Nakanishi-R) Contractors: arbitration procedures
Increases the monetary cap on cases that may be referred to a voluntary arbitration program by the Contractors State License Board, from its current maximum of $50,000, to a maximum of $100,000 and excludes attorney's fees from the costs that may be awarded by the arbitrator.(Died on Senate Inactive File)

AB 624 (Coto-D) Private foundations: diversity
Requires private, corporate or public operating foundations with assets over $250 million to collect race and gender related data related to their governance structure and domestic grantmaking and post this information on their Internet web sites.(Died in Senate Business and Professions Committee)

AB 697 (Hancock-D) Relocation of retailers
Prohibits a local agency, on or after 10/1/08, from entering into any form of agreement with a retailer that would involve the shifting of any amount of Bradley-Burns local tax proceeds if the agreement results in a reduction in the amount of revenue that is received by another local agency from the same retailer if it is located within that other local agency, and continues to maintain a physical presence and location there.Vetoed

AB 1006 (Maze-R) Pawnbrokers and dealers
Clarifies provisions of law where property has been found in the possession of a secondhand dealer, pawnbroker, or coin dealer that has been the subject of a criminal investigation. Clarifies the original claimant's rights to the property.(Died in Assembly Business and Professions Committee)

AB 1185 (Hayashi-D) Accountants: peer review program
Accelerates the date by which the Board of Accountancy is required to review and evaluate whether to implement a "peer review" program for the evaluation of accounting firms that provide "attest services" (audits and financial reviews), from 9/1/11 to 9/1/08.(Died in Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee)

AB 1284 (Eng-D) Geologists and geophysicists
Increases the cap on the examination fee for a license as a professional geologist and deletes the written examination exemption for applicants with a certification from another state, as specified.Chapter 488, Statutes of 2008

AB 1290 (Mendoza-D) Fictitious business name statements
Allows a county clerk, in the event that the notice of pending expiration of a fictitious business license is returned to the clerk by United States Postal Service as undeliverable, to dispose of the returned notice without delay.Vetoed

AB 1506 (Arambula-D) Businesses: greenhouse gas emissions
Requires the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to conduct a study of the most effective ways for the state to provide incentives to businesses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase California's energy independence and to report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature on or before 1/1/09.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 1516 (Maze-R) Commissioner of Corporations
Authorizes the Commissioner of Corporations to develop, recommend, and implement guidelines to achieve greater efficiency and cost-effective services in connection with certification or licensure, examination, investigation, enforcement, and other responsibilities.(Died in Assembly Banking and Finance Committee)

AB 1519 (Ma-D) Human remains: commercial display
Requires that each exhibitor of a commercial display of human remains must post signage at the entrance to the exhibit site and ticket sales office, and make declarations in all advertising, as specified, until 1/1/10. Provides, that beginning 1/1/10, any commercial display of human remains is prohibited unless the exhibitor files a specified form with the Department of Justice, and requires the exhibitor to maintain two catalogs of consent forms, as specified, for each body or specimen listed on the form.Vetoed

AB 1546 (Charles Calderon-D) Limited liability companies: income taxes
Corrects changes to the limited liability companies (LLCs) tax payment requirement by (1) advancing the deadline for LLCs tax payments, (2) assessing and detailing penalty for tax underpayment, and (3) repealing and adding requirements that LLC taxes must be collected and refunded in the same manner as personal income taxes.(Died in Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1583 (Maze-R) Investment advisers
Expands on the liability of brokers and investment advisers and expands the definition of a security to include a fractional or proportional interest in a life insurance policy benefit, including a viatical settlement contract and a life settlement contract.(Died in Assembly Banking and Finance Committee)

AB 1588 (Soto-D) Raffles: gross receipts
Decreases the percentage of gross receipts from charitable raffles required to go to beneficial or charitable purposes from 90% to 50% for a 50/50 cash raffle, as defined, and from 90% to 60% for a dream home raffle, as defined. Places certain restrictions on any noncash prize purchased in connection with a dream home raffle.(Died in Assembly Governmental Organization Committee)

AB 1591* (Ma-D) The Corporation Tax Law: allocation and apportionment
Authorizes, beginning on or after 1/1/08, and before 1/1/22, a taxpayer that is a member of an apportioning trade or business to elect, by contracting with the Franchise Tax Board, as provided, to apportion its business income to this state by utilizing one of the revised apportionment formulas, as specified.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1608 (Solorio-D) Fast food restaurants: billboard advertising
Prohibits advertising of any fast food product on any outdoor billboard within 1,500 feet of any public or private elementary school, middle school, high school, or public playground.(Died in Assembly Governmental Organization Committee)

AB 1677 (Charles Calderon-D) Internet transactions: banking and financial services
Requires a business that provides banking and other financial services over the Internet to implement policies and procedures for authenticating the legitimacy of Internet transactions.(Died on Assembly Inactive File)

AB 1816* (Galgiani-D) Cemeteries: temporary manager
Authorizes a court of competent jurisdiction to appoint a temporary manager to manage the property and service the prepaid interments of a private cemetery if the court finds that a cemetery manager has ceased to perform his or her duties, as specified, and permits the court to authorize reasonable compensation to the temporary manger to be made from the cemetery's endowment care fund.Vetoed

AB 1840 (Charles Calderon-D) Retailers: sales tax
Defines a "retailer engaged in business in this state" as any retailer that has substantial nexus with this state for purposes of the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution and any retailer upon whom federal law permits this state to impose a use tax collection duty.(Died on Assembly Floor)
A similar bill was AB 2XXX (Calderon-D) which died in the Assembly being unassigned to a committee.

AB 1866 (Mendoza-D) Retailers: service contracts
Requires a retailer that sells a service contract to maintain the service contract information and make the contract available to the purchaser upon request, as specified.Vetoed

AB 1870 (De Leon-D) Secondhand dealers and coin dealers
Provides that a Matricula Consular, in addition to another item of identification bearing an address, can be a document which can verify the identification of a seller or pledger of property to a secondhand dealer or a coin dealer.Vetoed

AB 1911 (Galgiani-D) Funeral establishments
Requires a managing funeral director, cemetery manager, crematory manager, or cemetery broker to notify the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau if an employee or prospective employee has had a license or registration from the Bureau revoked or suspended, as specified, and provides a civil penalty of $2,500 to $25,000 for knowingly making a false statement to the Bureau regarding a transfer of cemetery ownership.Chapter 490, Statutes of 2008

AB 1925 (Eng-D) Occupational and professional licenses: tax liability
Allows the Franchise Tax Board to suspend occupational and professional licenses due to unpaid income tax liabilities.(Died in Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee)

AB 1994* (Gaines-R) Economic crimes: sentencing
Reinstates provisions of the Economic Crime Act of 1992 - that apply to persons convicted of theft in excess of $50,000 in a single occurrence - which expired 1/1/08.(Died in Senate Public Safety Committee)

AB 2130 (Hayashi-D) Health studios: automated external defibrillators
Creates a specified training exemption in the law pertaining to the use of automated external defibrillators for those health studios generally known as "24-hour card key clubs" that do not maintain personnel on site and are available for use by their members 24 hours a day, commencing 1/1/09.(Died in Senate Judiciary Committee)

AB 2149 (Berg-D) Broker-dealers and investment advisers
Prohibits an investment advisor or broker-dealer from using specific credentials or professional designations in such a way as to mislead any person.Chapter 476, Statutes of 2008

AB 2169 (Cook-R) Business licenses: ice cream truck operation
Prohibits a city or county from issuing a license to operate an ice cream truck to any person required to register as a sex offender due to a conviction for a crime against a person under age 16.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 2223 (Horton-R) Structural Fumigation Enforcement Program
Includes San Diego County in the existing Structural Fumigation Enforcement Program and extends the sunset date on that program to 1/1/11.Chapter 450, Statutes of 2008

AB 2336 (Nakanishi-R) Contractors: arbitration procedures
Allows a licensee to have a project that is the subject of an arbitration proceeding inspected by an expert, and requires the complainant to allow for that inspection prior to the hearing date.(Died in Assembly Judiciary Committee)

AB 2383 (Ruskin-D) Retail business: social security numbers use
Prohibits a retail business or landlord from soliciting, requiring, or using an individual's social security number for any purpose unless that number is necessary for that business's normal course of business and there is a specific use for that number for which no other number may be used. Requires that a retail business meet certain requirements with respect to any requested social security number.(Died in Assembly Judiciary Committee)

AB 2412 (Eng-D) Unlicensed contractors
Increases the maximum criminal fines for unlicensed contractors, requires a mandatory jail sentence for a third or subsequent conviction for unlicensed contracting, and clarifies that a person who utilizes an unlicensed contractor, who is convicted of acting as a contractor without a valid license, shall be considered a victim of crime, thereby requiring the court to order the unlicensed contractor to make restitution.Vetoed

AB 2423 (Bass-D) Professions and vocations: licensure
Authorizes specified boards and bureaus under the Department of Consumer Affairs when considering the issuance of a probationary license or registration to request an applicant with a prior criminal history to provide proof of dismissal. Requires boards to develop standard terms of probation, authorizes these boards to revoke, suspend, or deny at any time any required license or registration, and requires these boards to provide a specified statement of reasons for the denial and, if applicable, a copy of the applicant's criminal history record.Chapter 675, Statutes of 2008

AB 2473 (Niello-R) Accountancy: licensure
Eliminates the experience-based pathway for qualification to take the certified public accountant examination (CPA), and the requirement that out-of-state and foreign CPAs hold a practice privilege from the California Board of Accountancy prior to practicing public accountancy in California.(Died in Assembly Business and Professions Committee)

AB 2540* (Mendoza-D) Mobile food facilities
Establishes single operating site mobile food facility as a new category of mobile food facilities regulated under the California Retail Food Code, and imposes various requirements on these facilities. Revises various standards applicable to mobile food facilities and satellite food facilities, with respect to water storage, contamination prevention, and construction standards.Vetoed

AB 2572 (Parra-D) Food facilities: nutrition information
Requires a covered food facility to disclose nutrition information in accordance with specified requirements, and provides that after 1/1/10, a covered food facility that violates these provisions is guilty of an infraction and specifically provides that a violation of these provisions is not a misdemeanor.(Died in Senate Appropriations Committee)

AB 2592 (Ma-D) Locksmiths
Makes various changes to the statutes governing the licensure and regulation of locksmiths, and revises and recasts the provisions relating to unlicensed activity relating to the locksmith business.Chapter 679, Statutes of 2008

AB 2677 (Krekorian-D) Genocide: investments: profiting from genocide
Requires the State Treasurer's Office to annually publish a report listing businesses that are profiting from genocide.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 2690 (Krekorian-D) Product liability actions
Declares that a manufacturer of a prescription pharmaceutical product that advertises directly to consumers shall not be relieved of a duty to warn customers of risks and side effects of the product solely because the product was prescribed to a patient by a physician.(Died on Assembly Inactive File)

AB 2735 (Smyth-R) Internet service providers: recordkeeping
Requires an Internet service provider, as defined, engaged in or transacting business in California to keep records for two years following allocation of an IP (Internet Protocol) address under its control, as specified, and to make those records reasonably available, upon request, to federal or state law enforcement or the Attorney General.(Died in Assembly Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy Committee)

AB 2750 (Krekorian-D) Music piracy: restitution
Provides (1) that in a music or audio-visual piracy case restitution shall be paid to the owner, lawful producer, or trade association acting on behalf of the owner or producer; (2) provides for the calculation of restitution for music and audio-visual piracy, and (3) provides that restitution includes the reasonable costs incurred by the owner, producer, or trade association acting on behalf of the owner or producer, to investigate the piracy.Chapter 468, Statutes of 2008

AB 2793 (Blakeslee-R) Professional engineers: disclosures
Authorizes an engineer, as defined, to disclose to any governmental official information regarding a building or structure that the engineer believes in good faith may pose a danger to the public health or safety. Prohibits a contract between an engineer and a building owner, as defined, from containing any provision that would limit or interfere with the engineer's right to provide that disclosure and also prohibits a building owner from threatening, or initiating or maintaining legal action against, or otherwise retaliating against an engineer due to that disclosure or the engineer's ability to make that disclosure.(Died in Senate Business and Professions Committee)

AB 2796 (Nava-D) Businesses: donations during disasters
Adds two new sections to the California Emergency Services Act to authorize the Office of Emergency Services to establish a statewide registry of private businesses and nonprofit organizations that are interested in making donations, at no cost to the state, to prepare the state for emergencies and disasters, and imposes certain duties on these entities in this regard. Relieves a private business or nonprofit organization included on the statewide registry from criminal or civil liability for a death, injury, illness, or other damage to a person or property caused by its donation, except for liability caused by its grossly negligent act or omission, or willful or wanton misconduct.Chapter 363, Statutes of 2008

AB 2829 (Davis-D) Plastic carryout bags: recycling
Requires stores to charge a fee of 25 cents per plastic carryout bag distributed to customers and creates the California Plastic Carryout Bag Impact Fund. Also requires that all plastic bags include an environmental awareness message in addition to the words "PLEASE RETURN TO A PARTICIPATING STORE FOR RECYCLING."(Died in Assembly Natural Resources Committee)

AB 2880 (Wolk-D) Mortgage brokers
Requires a mortgage broker to post a surety bond of $100,000 to $500,000, depending on the volume of business. The bond could be used for the recovery of expenses, fines, and fees levied by the Department of Real Estate for losses and damages incurred by consumers because of a broker's non-compliance with the provisions of this bill. Prohibits mortgage brokers from steering customers toward loans that are more costly than that for which the borrower qualifies, and places limits on compensation that brokers may receive from the issuance of a conventional loan.(Died in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

AB 2888 (La Malfa-R) Businesses: services for minors
Requires any person, entity, group, or organization, operating as a nonprofit or for-profit business, to require any person hired as an employee, independent contractor, or have volunteers that work directly and in an unaccompanied setting with minor children to have a criminal background check.(Failed passage in Assembly Business and Professions Committee)

AB 2944 (Leno-D) Corporations: director's duties
Specifies that, in considering the best interests of a corporation, the board of directors, committees of the board, and individual directors of a domestic corporation may consider specified factors, including, among others, the effect the corporation's actions would have on the prospects for potential growth and on the economy of the state and nation, and enacts related provisions relative to the consideration of these factors and the duties of the board of directors, committees of the board, and individual directors of a domestic corporation. The provisions of the bill sunset on 1/1/15.Vetoed

AB 2976 (Keene-R) Vehicles: manufacturers and distributors
Prohibits a manufacturer, manufacturer branch, distributor, or distributor branch from unfairly discriminating in favor of a dealer when acting as a manufacturer, manufacturer branch, distributor, or distributor branch of motorsports vehicles, as defined.(Died on Senate Inactive File)

AB 3024 (Duvall-R) Payment bonds: public works
Increases, from $5,000 to $25,000, the contract cost limit over which contractors on state public works projects must obtain a payment bond.Chapter 79, Statutes of 2008

ACR 106 (Nava-D) Internet: violence prevention
Urges user-generated content web sites to do the following: work with the Internet Safety Technical Task Force to create and develop tools to enhance a safer online experience for children and the public, immediately remove actively violent and criminal content from their Internet web sites, proactively enforce their terms of use, and work with law enforcement to deter, investigate, and prosecute those who utilize their services in the commission of criminal behavior.(Died on Assembly Inactive File)

ACR 120 (Silva-R) USA Entrepreneurship Week
Declares the Legislature's support for the goal of USA Entrepreneurship Week from 11/17/08 to 11/23/08, inclusive, and encourages schools and other organizations to hold events promoting entrepreneurship during that week.Resolution Chapter 135, Statutes of 2008

ACR 157 (Levine-D) Information and communications technologies digital literacy
Requests the Governor to create the California Information and Communications Technologies Digital Literacy Leadership Council to provide leadership regarding the California Information and Communications digital literacy, defined as using digital technology, communications tools, or networks, or any combination thereof, to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, create, and communicate information in order to function in a knowledge-based economy and society.(Died in Assembly being unassigned to a committee)